Method for manufacturing glass or plastic or crystal product and glass or plastic or crystal product manufactured by said method

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing glass, plastic or crystal products including jewels or noble metals attached thereto and a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metals attached thereto, manufactured thereby. The method includes, mounting a jewel or noble metal in a mold, injecting glass, plastic or crystal material into an injector and then melting the glass, plastic or crystal material in the injector, injecting the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid into the mold, cooling the glass, plastic or crystal material liquid injected in the mold, thus producing a glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal attached thereto, and demolding the glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal attached thereto from the mold. The invention provides glass, plastic or crystal products with jewels or noble metals as decorative materials, and thus decorative effects of the glass, plastic or crystal products are enhanced.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing glass, plastic or crystal products including jewels or noble metal attachments and a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metal attachments manufactured thereby and, more particularly, to a technology for attaching jewels or noble metals to glass, plastic or crystal products.

BACKGROUND ART

Precious jewels such as diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, along with pearl and coral and noble metals such as platinum and solid gold are being accepted as the most valuable decorative materials for use in jewelry because they are scarce and thus have more value and exhibit beauty resulting from the reflection of light.

Accordingly, if it is possible to provide glass, plastic or crystal products with jewels or noble metals as decorative materials, the decorative effects of the glass, plastic or crystal products can be enhanced. Considering that demand for the decorative glass, plastic or crystal products increasingly rises with the rise in the standard of living, a technology to attach jewels or noble metals to the products is eagerly required.

In response to the current trend, the present applicant has made research into a method of manufacturing glass, plastic or crystal products including noble metal attachments and also into the glass, plastic or crystal products including noble metal attachments manufactured thereby. As a result of the research, the applicant proposes a technology to prevent shape deformation of the noble metals due to shrinkage caused by cooling of melted glass, plastic or crystal material during the process of manufacturing glass, plastic or crystal products including noble metal attachments.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing glass, plastic or crystal products which are provided with jewels or noble metals as decorative elements for purposes of enhancing the decorative effects of the above products and to provide a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metal attachments manufactured thereby.

In other words, the object of the present invention is provide a method of manufacturing glass, plastic or crystal products including noble metals attached thereto, which is designed to prevent shape deformation of the noble metal due to shrinkage caused by cooling of melted glass, plastic or crystal material during the process of manufacturing glass, plastic or crystal products including noble metals attached thereto, and a glass, plastic or crystal product including noble metals attached thereto, manufactured thereby.

Technical Solution

In order to accomplish the above objects, an aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a jewel or noble metal attached thereto, the method including: mounting a jewel or noble metal in a mold; injecting glass, plastic or crystal material into an injector and then melting the glass, plastic or crystal material in the injector; injecting the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid into the mold; cooling the glass, plastic or crystal material liquid injected in the mold, thus producing a glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal attached thereto; and demolding the glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal attached thereto from the mold.

In order to accomplish the above objects, another aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto; the method including: filling a noble metal, which is configured to have an open portion, with a deformation suppressor and solidifying the deformation suppressor; mounting the noble metal, which is filled with the de-formation suppressor, in a mold; injecting glass, plastic or crystal material into an injector and then melting the glass, plastic or crystal material in the injector; injecting the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid into the mold; cooling the glass, plastic or crystal material liquid injected in the mold, thus producing a glass, plastic or crystal product including the noble metal attached thereto; and demolding the glass, plastic or crystal product including the noble metal attached thereto from the mold.

Features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, the terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to typical meanings or dictionary definitions, but should be interpreted as having meanings and concepts relevant to the technical scope of the present invention based on the rule according to which an inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term to describe the best method he or she knows for carrying out the invention.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

The present invention has a very useful advantage in that it provides a glass, plastic or crystal product with attached jewels or noble metals, thus improving decorative effects of the glass, plastic or crystal product.

In addition, the present invention has another very useful advantage in that it can prevent shape deformation of noble metals which are attached to glass, plastic or crystal products during manufacturing of the products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metals attached thereto, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metals attached thereto, which is manufactured by the method according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by the method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS

-   -   100: glass, plastic or crystal product     -   100′: noble metal     -   111: light-transmission hole     -   200: jewel or noble metal     -   200′: deformation suppressor     -   300′: glass, plastic or crystal material

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description.

Hereinafter, the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are used throughout the different drawings to designate the same or similar components. In the following description of the present invention, detailed descriptions of functions and structures of related art are omitted so as not to obscure the gist of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be fully described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention so that the present invention is understood and embodied by those skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metals attached thereto, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metals attached thereto, according to this embodiment of the present invention comprises a mounting step S110, a melting step S120, a liquid injection step S130, a molding step S140 and a demolding step S150.

In order to manufacture a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metals attached thereto, the jewels or noble metals must be first mounted in a mold in the mounting step S110. More specifically, in the process of making a mold (not shown) for use in the manufacture of glass, plastic or crystal products, the mold is constructed so as to have mount portions (not shown) formed thereon, and the jewels or noble metals are mounted on the mount portions of the mold at the mounting step S110. At this point, the mold may be configured to provide the resulting glass, plastic or crystal product with light-transmitting holes 110 so that lights reach the jewels through the light-transmitting holes.

In this step, although the jewels or noble metals may be manually mounted on the mount portions of the mold by an operator, the process of mounting jewels or noble metals is preferably conducted in a way such that a jewel or noble metal, which is picked up using a tool for picking up (not shown), is transferred to the mount portion formed in the mold using a traveling device (not shown) which is adapted to be moved between programmed positions, and is then mounted on the mount portion formed on the mold using a mounting tool (now shown) of a mounting machine (not shown).

After the jewel or noble metal is mounted in the mold at the mounting step S110, glass, plastic or crystal material is charged into an injector (not shown) and is then melted therein at the melting step S120. For example, the glass, plastic or crystal material charged in the injector may be melted into a liquid phase through heating at the melting step S120.

At this melting step S120, additives may be added to the glass, plastic or crystal material before being charged into the injector. For example, when pigments are used as the additive, the resulting glass, plastic or crystal product can have a desired particular color.

Subsequently, at the liquid-injection step S130, following the melting step S120 whereby the glass, plastic or crystal material is melted into a liquid phase, the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid is injected into the mold in which the jewel or noble metal was mounted at the mounting step S110.

In this liquid-injection step S130, it is preferable that the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid be injected into the mold under a vacuum. The reason for this is because the jewel or noble metal may combine with oxygen and thus evaporate at a specific temperature or higher if the injection is not conducted under vacuum. For example, diamond is composed of carbon (C), and the carbon combines with oxygen (O) and changes into carbon oxide (CO2) at a temperature range of about 800-1600° C.

Meanwhile, in the liquid-injection step S130, it is preferable that the temperature of the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid does not exceed a specific temperature. The reason for this is because properties of jewels vary when the jewel is at a specific temperature or higher. For example, heating to a temperature of 2000° C. or higher causes diamond to be changed into graphite.

Thereafter, at the molding step S140, following the liquid-injection step S130 when the melted and liquid glass, plastic or crystal material is injected into the mold in which the jewel or noble metal is mounted, the glass, plastic or crystal material liquid injected in the mold is cooled, thus molding a desired glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal fitted therein. Subsequently, the glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal fitted therein, which is obtained at the molding step S140, is removed from the mold at the demolding step S150, thus providing the finished glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal fitted therein as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, an unmentioned reference numeral 100 is the glass, plastic or crystal product, and an unmentioned reference numeral is the jewel or noble metal.

In this way, the present invention provides a glass, plastic or crystal product with jewels or noble metals as decorative elements, and thus the decorative effects of the glass, plastic or crystal product are enhanced, thus enabling the accomplishment of the above-described objects of the present invention.

In a modification of the present invention, the method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metals attached thereto may further include a polishing step S160. The polishing step S160 is conducted after the demolding step S150 in order to impart gloss to the jewels or noble metals fitted in the glass, plastic or crystal product. For example, the polishing step S160 may be embodied by subjecting the jewels or noble metals fitted in the glass, plastic or crystal product to electropolishing and thus imparting gloss to the jewels or noble metals.

In other words, this embodiment is intended to polish jewels or noble metals attached to a glass, plastic or crystal product and thus to manufacture a glass, plastic or crystal product which has more elegant and beautiful jewels or noble metals attached thereto. As a result, decorative effects of the glass, plastic or crystal product are enhanced, thus enabling accomplishment of the above objects of present invention.

Meanwhile, in a further modification of the present invention, the method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including jewels or noble metals attached thereto may further include a finishing step S170. More specifically, this finishing step S170 is intended to grind or trim unnecessary portions of the glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewels or noble metals attached thereto, following removal from the mold, and thus to neatly finish the appearance of the glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewels or noble metals, thus producing the glass, plastic or crystal product including elegant and beautiful jewels or noble metals attached thereto. Since decorative effects of the glass, plastic or crystal product are enhanced by the above-describe process, the above objects of the present invention can be accomplished. In this embodiment, although the finishing step S170 may be conducted after either the demolding step S150 or the polishing step S160, it is preferably conducted after the polishing step S160.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, according to this embodiment of the present invention comprises a charging step S110, a mounting step S120, a melting step S130, a liquid-injection step S140, a molding step S150′ and a demolding step S160.

In the process of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, in order to prevent shaped deformation of the noble metal, the noble metal 100′ is configured to have an open end, and a deformation suppressor 200′ is charged in the internal cavity of the noble metal 100′ at the charging step S110, as shown in FIG. 4. For example, the deformation suppressor 200′ may be composed of gypsum or clay.

Subsequently, in order to produce a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, the noble metal in which the deformation suppressor is charged is mounted in a mold at the mounting step S120. More specifically, in the manufacture of the mold (not shown) for a desired glass, plastic or crystal product, the mold is configured to have a mount portion (not shown) formed on the mold, on which mount portion the noble metal is mounted at the mounting step S120.

In this step, although the noble metal may be manually mounted on the mount portion of the mold by an operator, the process of mounting jewels or noble metals is preferably conducted in a way such that a noble metal, which is picked up using a tool for picking up (not shown), is transferred to the mount portion formed in the mold using a traveling device (not shown) which is adapted to be moved between programmed positions, and is then mounted on the mount portion formed on the mold using a mounting tool (now shown) of a mounting machine (not shown).

After the noble metal is mounted in the mold at the mounting step S120, glass, plastic or crystal material is charged into an injector (not shown) and is then melted therein at the melting step S130. For example, the glass, plastic or crystal material charged in the injector may be melted into a liquid phase through heating at the melting step S130.

At this melting step S130 the glass, plastic or crystal material may be added with additives before being charged into the injector. For example, when pigments are used as the additive, the resulting glass, plastic or crystal product can have a desired particular color.

After the glass, plastic or crystal material is melted into a liquid phase at the melting step S130, comes the liquid-injection step S140, which is when the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid is injected into the mold in which the noble metal was mounted at the mounting step S120.

Thereafter, when the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid is injected into the mold in which the noble metal is mounted, at the liquid-injection step S140, the glass, plastic or crystal material liquid injected in the mold is cooled, thus molding a desired glass, plastic or crystal product including the noble metal fitted therein, at the molding step S150.

At this point, since the noble metal 100, which is configured to have an open end, is filled therein with the solidified deformation suppressor 200, as shown in FIG. 4, even though the glass, plastic or crystal material 300, which is melted thus covering the noble metal 100, shrinks due to cooling, the noble metal 100′ cannot be deformed by means of the solid deformation suppressor 200′ charged in the noble metal 100.

Subsequently, the glass, plastic or crystal product including the noble metal fitted therein, which is obtained at the molding step S150, is removed from the mold at the demolding step S160, and thus a finished glass, plastic or crystal product including the noble metal fitted therein is obtained.

In this way, the present invention provides a glass, plastic or crystal product with a noble metal as decorative element so as to enhance decorative effects of the glass, plastic or crystal product, and can efficiently prevent the shape deformation of the noble metal, mounted on a glass, plastic or crystal product, occurring in the manufacturing process of the glass, plastic or crystal product, thus enabling the accomplishment of the above-described objects of the present invention.

In a further modification aspect of the present invention, the method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto may further include a removing step S170. The removing step S170′ is conducted after the demolding step S160′ in order to remove the deformation suppressor 200′ from the noble metal.

In other words, this embodiment is intended to remove the deformation suppressor 200′ charged in the noble metal 100′ so as to provide a neater and more elegant appearance. That is, in comparison with a glass, plastic or crystal product in which the deformation suppressor 200′ charged in the noble metal 100′ remains therein, a glass, plastic or crystal product, which does not have the deformation suppressor 100′ charged in the noble metal 100, has a better appearance.

For example, the glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto may also be manufactured in a way such that the deformation suppressor 200′ is removed from the noble metal, and the cavity of the noble metal, defined by the removal of the deformation suppressor, is filled with glass, plastic or crystal material and then is cooled.

In a modification of the present invention, the method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto may further include a polishing step S180. The polishing step S180′ is conducted after the demolding step S160′ in order to impart gloss to the noble metal fitted in the glass, plastic or crystal product. For example, the polishing step S180′ may be embodied by subjecting the noble metal fitted in the glass, plastic or crystal product to electropolishing and thus imparting gloss to the noble metal.

In other words, this embodiment is intended to polish a noble metal attached to a glass, plastic or crystal product and thus to manufacture a glass, plastic or crystal product including a more elegant and beautiful noble metal attached thereto. As a result, decorative effects of the glass, plastic or crystal product are enhanced, thus enabling accomplishment of the above objects of the present invention.

Meanwhile, in a further modification of the present invention, the method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto may further include a finishing step S190. More specifically, this finishing step S190′ is intended to grind or trim unnecessary portions of the glass, plastic or crystal product including the noble metal attached thereto, which is removed from the mold, and thus to neatly finish the appearance of the glass, plastic or crystal product including the noble metal, thus producing the glass, plastic or crystal product including a more elegant and beautiful noble metal attached thereto.

By the above described process, the present invention can enhance decorative effects of the glass, plastic or crystal product. In this embodiment, although the finishing step S190′ may be conducted after either the demolding step S160′ or the polishing step S180, it is preferably conducted after the polishing step S180.

As described above, since the noble metal, which is configured to have an open end, is filled therein with the solidified deformation suppressor and is then mounted on a glass, plastic or crystal product, shape deformation of the noble metal, mounted on the glass, plastic or crystal product, occurring in the manufacturing process of the glass, plastic or crystal product can be efficiently prevented, thus enabling the accomplishment of the above-described objects of the present invention.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above proposed embodiments and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all such changes and modifications are to be understood to fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention. 

1. A method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a jewel or noble metal attached thereto, the method comprising: mounting a jewel or noble metal in a mold; injecting glass, plastic or crystal material into an injector and then melting the glass, plastic or crystal material in the injector; injecting the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid into the mold; cooling the glass, plastic or crystal material liquid injected in the mold, thus producing a glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal attached thereto; and demolding the glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal attached thereto from the mold.
 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: after demolding the glass, plastic or crystal product, polishing the jewel or noble metal attached to the glass, plastic or crystal product.
 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: after demolding the glass, plastic or crystal product, finishing the glass, plastic or crystal product including the jewel or noble metal.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the injection of glass, plastic or crystal material into the injector, an additive is added to the glass, plastic or crystal material prior to injection into the injector.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the injection of glass, plastic or crystal material into the injector, the glass, plastic or crystal material is melted under vacuum and then is injected into the injector.
 6. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a jewel or noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 1. 7. A method of manufacturing a glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto; the method comprising: filling a noble metal, which is configured to have an open portion, with a deformation suppressor and solidifying the deformation suppressor; mounting the noble metal, which is filled with the deformation suppressor, in a mold; injecting glass, plastic or crystal material into an injector and then melting the glass, plastic or crystal material in the injector; injecting the melted glass, plastic or crystal material liquid into the mold; cooling the glass, plastic or crystal material liquid injected in the mold, thus producing a glass, plastic or crystal product including the noble metal attached thereto; and demolding the glass; plastic or crystal product including the noble metal attached thereto from the mold.
 8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: after demolding the glass, plastic or crystal product, removing the deformation suppressor from the noble metal.
 9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: after demolding the glass, plastic or crystal product, polishing the noble metal attached to the glass, plastic or crystal product.
 10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: after demolding the glass, plastic or crystal product, finishing the glass, plastic or crystal product including the noble metal.
 11. The method according to claim 7, wherein in the injection of glass, plastic or crystal material into the injector, the glass, plastic or crystal material is combined with an additive and then is injected into the injector.
 12. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 7. 13. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a jewel or noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 2. 14. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a jewel or noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 3. 15. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a jewel or noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 4. 16. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a jewel or noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 5. 17. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 8. 18. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 9. 19. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 10. 20. A glass, plastic or crystal product including a noble metal attached thereto, which is manufactured by a method according to claim
 11. 